Terra and Gau: The Learning Lights
by Narratorway
Summary: Terra returns to Molbiz and brings Gau with her in hopes that he will become a part of her family, but will they accept the 'wild boy of the veldt'? Will he accept them? I've changed the story so it's now segmented into chapters.
1. Crystals

Terra and Gau  
  
The Learning Lights  
  
She was hunched over at the starboard end of the ship. Celes and Edgar were crouched down right next to her. The past few minutes were hazy at best, which is why she fell off the airship. She was standing at the edge of the ship ready to lead everyone to safety…but that wasn't right, she had already done that. All her memories were wrong, or were they, maybe they were just mixed, yeah…mixed, not wrong. Still trying to collect herself she suddenly felt a small breeze and someone yelling, and it all seemed very far away. Then, all of a sudden, she was free. There was no ground, no sky, and winds were violently pushing and pulling her in all directions all at the same time. Her body was being beaten by the elements but she was smiling. She was in chaos, yes, chaos. That meant she wouldn't have to worry anymore. Never again would she feel lost in emotions, in the past, in loves…and losses. In time she could deny who she was and be blanketed in anonymity. She would've begun to cry, tears swirling around her like protective crystals, if she hadn't hit the deck of the airship. The blow brought her right back to her senses, in every respect but her thoughts.  
  
The deck was shaking, the engine whining loudly, barely audible over the screaming wind, and everyone was tightly gripping the rails except Setzer, who was straining against the wheel for all he was worth. She could see to the back end of the ship and the sky beyond it. It was tilting up. A shudder made her fall back and roll into the railing, and she almost fell off again. Her head was facing forward and she saw the ground racing towards them. She gasped as the horizon above her head began to slowly come down to eye level. There was a shudder that was felt from deep within the ship and then the world tilted for Terra Brandford and faded away.  
  
Terra woke up, as Edgar and Celes crowded around her.  
  
"Terra, are you all right?" Celes asked urgently.  
  
"Yeah, I think so" she replied and looked around. Everyone was getting up, dazed and confused. She looked at Setzer and noticed he was sweating and his face was red. He did not look happy. She looked past him and saw Gau. He was still clinging to the railing, his hands gripping it so tight that they were white. He was crying and shaking. Suddenly Terra was overwhelmed with guilt. She almost killed everyone and she didn't even realize it until just then.  
  
But that was always how it was, wasn't it. She had always been the one who was the cause of other people's pain. Everyone she knew had suffered because of her. It was her that killed fifty soldiers in a blaze so powerful, it drain her of almost all her power. She had killed fifty soldiers, ended fifty lives. Because of a Slave Crown, she couldn't control herself, but that didn't matter. Despite what people had heard, the crown took your will, but not your awareness. She could remember watching them, expendable rookies no older than twenty, watching as they screamed, as their flesh burned and their armor melted to their skin. And mixed in with the screams was laughter from a voice that barely sounded human. She lowered her head and began to cry.  
  
Edgar put his arm around her shoulder. "Terra, it's all right. You're okay."  
  
"You don't understand." The tears were hurting her eye. "It's all my fault, all of it." She was losing herself in despair. Then she heard a child's voice.  
  
"Terra, Gau sorry. Gau didn't mean to make you cry." She looked up and the wild boy was stooped in front of her. He smiled and jumped upright and began to pound his chest. "See? Gau feel fine!"  
  
Terra needed that more than she would ever know. She jumped up and hugged Gau and cried harder. Gau tried to get away.  
  
"Gau made Terra worse." Which is what he really thought, but he had also spent almost all of his life in the wild of the veldt and he wasn't used to this kind of contact.  
  
"No Gau," Terra said through her tears, "you've made me better. Much better." Gau stopped struggling as a feeling he had never felt before came over him. He hugged Terra back and began to cry himself.  
  
Everyone on the ship watched in awe, and some were a little bit apprehensive towards Gau being so close to Terra. Since their lights had returned to them, such things as feelings of suspicion, envy, and other emotions that would have undermined their quest had also returned. Of course they didn't despise each other, nor would such emotions ever come to fruition between them, but it would still linger in the back of their sub- conscious, like it does for all human beings. And so it was for many of the people aboard the airship that they weren't all that sure about whether Gau was always safe to be around. He came from the wild after all.  
  
Except for Sabin and Cyan. They saw his potential. The fact that he was able to hold his own against Sabin and not break a sweat really impressed him though he'd never admit it. Cyan saw him in a little different light, considering him a kind of lost soul in need of direction and guidance.  
  
But none of this mattered to Terra or Gau as they hugged each other. 


	2. Poor Introductions

Katarin saw the ship first as it suddenly appeared through a cloud. She was outside, walking towards another house in Molbiz. It was dangerous, but she needed to have a little talk with her husband and no monsters had appeared the entire day. Then she saw it, just out of the corner of her eye. She stopped and stared at it for a moment, not sure what it was, and a little afraid that it was coming straight toward Molbiz. As it begun to take shape and she realized what it was, she covered her mouth to stifle a cry of joy.  
  
Duane was on the roof of another house repairing the damage when she heard her yelling at him from the orphanage. He sighed. Right from the start, Katarin was against the idea of repairing the damage to the town. They would argue over it constantly. She would say it was a waste of time. Then he would say it was a hobby, just something to pass the time. Then she would say it was dangerous, the houses could collapse in on him or he could fall off the roof. He would say that the children would need a place to live when they grew up. But they wouldn't make it to adulthood if he died. Was this ridiculous "hobby" worth dying for?! What about your son? And so they would go on, back and forth. Finally, she asked him why. What was so important about repairing these houses and fences and yards that he'd risk his life for? He couldn't answer her.  
  
Eventually, he made a deal with her. He would only work for a couple of hours a day per house, and he wouldn't work on the more dangerous projects until it couldn't be helped. She reluctantly agreed. As he began work anew, he also began to wonder what he was doing this for. She was right. Why was he risking his life to do this? He remembered having the idea when Terra needed his help in fixing up the orphanage so it didn't collapse in on the children. Then her friends came and took her away, so he had to do the rest by himself. When he was finished, the house looked almost brand new. Then he turned and looked at the other houses. Dilapidated and crumbling, not a hint of the glory of their former selves. That's when he decided to repair them, whatever the cost. Molbiz was his hometown and while it may not have been the grandest town in the world, he would not let it become a ghost town. And so, more often than not, he would be working past his two-hour limit and Katarin would come over and lecture him.  
  
And so he thought it would be this evening as she ran towards the house he was on. He sighed, thinking how he'd lost track of time. Now he was going to get it. Looking down at her, he squinted. Was she crying? Suddenly he heard a faint sound, like a buzz. He looked up at the sky and saw it, the airship! The sound of the propellers became louder as the ship approached. Barely hearing her voice over the airship, Duane slid down the ladder to his wife's side. They both looked up at the ship that was directly over their heads, whipping their hair in all directions. Katarin shook her head and sighed, "She's gonna wake up the children with all that noise."  
  
Duane smiled, "Good thing too, or I'd have to wake 'em up."  
  
And out of the main house the children all ran. They looked up at the sky and pointed and yelled as they ran over to the newlyweds and crowded around. The ship was moving towards the field next to town in order to land, and everyone followed it. All of the children were chanting Terra's name.  
  
The airship landed and the engines were killed. The exit door opened and a flight of stairs were let down. Out of the belly of the ship appeared Terra. She waved to them and all the children cheered. As soon as she got down the stairs, she was swarmed with hugs…and questions.  
  
"Where'dya go?"  
  
"Who were those people?"  
  
"Why couldn't I come with you?"  
  
"Did you get me anything?"  
  
"Can I ride the big balloon?"  
  
"What happened to the spirit lady?"  
  
"Did you miss us?"  
  
"Oh yes." Terra said cheerfully, "I've missed you all very much." She stood up, "And I'd like you all to meet someone." She turned toward the door of the airship and all eyes followed her gaze, "Come on out, Gau!"  
  
Before anyone had time to even think up the question, "Whose that?" Gau was halfway down the stairs, running on all fours like a cheetah. None of them had seen anything like him, and were struck silent, except Duane.  
  
"Look out Terra!" He jumped to Terra and pushed her behind him.  
  
"No! Duane don't!" But it was too late. Gau roared. A boy no older than thirteen roared and charged at Duane. At the last minute, he jumped at Duane and rolled himself into a ball in mid-air hitting Dwayne so hard, he was knocked off his feet and flew backwards onto the ground. Gau landed on top of him on all fours. He growled and raised his hand. Duane saw it and realized that the boy's fingernails were grown out and sharpened so that they resembled claws.  
  
"Gau stop!"  
  
Gau froze in place and looked up. Duane looked at Gau in fear and noticed the expression on his face. He'd seen it before, on the children whenever they realized they were in trouble. He turned his head and saw Terra. She had an expression on her face he'd seen whenever she dealt with the children who had Gau's expression.  
  
"Gau, come here." He obeyed and he bowed down his head. Terra knelt down and put her hand around his shoulder. "Gau, why did you attack Duane?" she asked softly.  
  
"Gau had to protect Terra from angry man. He tried to hurt you." he sounded very solemn.  
  
"No Gau, Duane is my friend. He would never do anything to hurt me. No one here would." Terra realized that this was a touchy situation. All the children had seen what Gau could be like when provoked and she had to make them see what she saw in him. Make them see that he was just like them.  
  
She stood up. "Now Gau, I want you to go up to Duane and apologize for jumping on him," she spoke firmly. Gau looked at her, confused.  
  
"What is apology?" he asked.  
  
"An apology is when you tell someone you're sorry that you hurt them." She replied.  
  
"Oh. Gau know what apology is then," he said. Gau remembered when he first met his friends Mr. Thou and the Dancing Man. Gau remembered how he made Mr. Thou sad. He apo-li-gized to him and he made him feel better. He walked over to Mr. Duane who picked himself up and was brushing himself off. "Gau sorry he tried to hurt Mr. Duane."  
  
Duane looked up at Terra with a look that said he wanted to know what was going on when they had the chance to talk. She gave him a look that said, well, you gonna accept his apology or not? He then looked down at Gau who had a look that said he was sorry. Duane extended his hand, "Apology accepted." Gau just stared at him.  
  
"Ahem," Terra called to him, "Duane, he doesn't know how to shake hands."  
  
Gau turned to her and leaned his head sideways, perplexed. "Of course Gau know how to shake hands," and proceeded to make his hands shake. All the children began to laugh. Both Terra and Katarin heaved a heavy sigh. Katarin had been watching the whole thing with bated breath. She was afraid of Gau, right out, and it was all she could do to keep from screaming when she heard him roar. She looked at Duane's expression to Gau's version of "shaking hands" and had to stifle a giggle. That loosened her up.  
  
Duane knelt down; "Gau here's how you shake someone's hand. Give me your hand." He saw Gau's eyes flash for a moment, then Gau hesitated, and slowly extended his hand. Duane slowly grasped it and shook his hand. He smiled, then Gau did. Then he laughed and Gau did. Then all the children cheered.  
  
It was Terra who broke the moment. "Come on children, its way past all your bedtimes. Now wave good-bye to everyone on the big airship." Everyone looked up and waved to all the people on the side of the airship. They all waved back, except for Locke, who was at the exit door.  
  
"Is everything all right?" he asked urgently.  
  
"Yeah, everything's fine." Terra replied, "Go on and tell everyone I said good-bye and good-luck."  
  
Locke gave her a thumbs up as the engines started, then waved good-bye before closing the door. Terra told everyone to head inside and they all backed away as the huge ship ascended into the now night sky. She took one last look at it before heading inside. It seemed to her as if it was chasing the sun as it was setting. She felt a lump in her throat as she realized she could never get that feeling again. 


	3. An Angry Night

"I bet it was quite an adventure." Katarin was sitting in her rocking chair by the fire place with Terra. Unfortunately Duane only made one, so Terra was forced to use the old chair.  
  
"Oh yes, that it was." Terra replied. She was staring at the fire, both of them were. Lost in thoughts, some good, some bad. "But all the while, I was worried. I wasn't sure if you and Duane could handle things alone." Terra smiled, "Guess I had nothing to worry about. You even brought the town back to life." She had seen all the repaired houses as they went into the orphanage. They didn't look brand new, far from it, but they were a far cry of their former selves.  
  
"Oh that was all Duane's idea," she said in an exasperated tone, "Right after you left, he finished reinforcing the orphanage. Then he got it into his head to do the same thing for the other houses. One thing led to another and before you know it, he was spending more time risking his life on those roofs, than hunting for food. Despite all my efforts, I just couldn't get him to quit."  
  
Terra looked at her with raised eyebrows, "Why Katarin, why would you want him to quit?"  
  
Katarin turned to her, "I don't understand, you were the one who told us never to go outside cause of the monsters. A-and there Duane would be, working inside, inside those rickety old shacks, making all sorts of noises." She began to talk quicker and louder, "I remember when I heard the most terrible crash while he was 'working', then silence, awful silence. I was terrified and waited for what seemed like an eternity, then Duane appeared at the door, covered in dust and smiling, smiling! Didn't he realize he could've killed himself for nothing?! Doesn't he realize this town's finished?! It'll never be the same again no matter how much he wants it to!" She burst into tears.  
  
Terra got out of the old chair to comfort her, but before she could do anything a howl from outside split the silence in two. Instantly, both women forgot about the outbursts and got to work. Katarin went to the bedroom and prepared all the children. The howl came again, and all the children became quiet, as they were trained to do. Terra went up the stairs; Duane was waiting for her. He had an ax in his hand.  
  
"Duane, I want you to stay here, okay?"  
  
"I've been outside befo-" another howl came. This time they heard it directly above them. Duane gasped. "It's on the roof!" he whispered. He looked at Terra. She was thinking about something and not paying attention to him or the thing above their heads. "Terra!" he whispered harshly.  
  
"Shhh, Duane." Terra replied.  
  
"But it's on the roof!"  
  
"I don't think it's a monster."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Just go down and protect the kids."  
  
Grudgingly, Duane went down the stairs. Protecting the kids was a joke, he remembered when she would say it to get rid of him when an animal attacked the house. Didn't she realize that he'd been going outside to battle these monsters ever since she left?  
  
Terra walked out of the house with her sword drawn, ready for an attack at any time. It was windy outside, and cool. It whipped her hair around her face. Slowly she backed away from the house, looking up at the roof. Sure enough, on the top was a figure on all fours. It howled again, and Terra sheathed her sword. She saw Gau's outline against the moon, but couldn't be sure until he raised his head to howl.  
  
"Gau!"  
  
Gau turned a looked at her, then smiled, "Hi Terra. Why not sleeping?"  
  
"Gau, what are you doing? Get down!"  
  
"Gau telling all the animals, they not come here. They not allowed here."  
  
Terra gaped at him, and he howled again. Behind her, from far away, she heard a reply. Howling, from many voices, the same as Gau's, only without the inflection's that would mistake them for human. She hesitated, not sure what to do, "What did they say?"  
  
"They say that this place shouldn't be here." Gau looked worried, "They say that this place is where friends killed for no reason. They don't want this place to be here anymore." He looked at her inquiringly. At first she didn't understand, then it hit her: revenge. Whatever was out there wanted revenge. The idea chilled her to the bone.  
  
Before she could reply, more howls were heard. They were louder…and closer. "Gau, get inside right now! Hurry!" He ignored her. "Gau!"  
  
"Terra get inside. Gau protect everyone." With that he stood up and ran to the end of the roof and jumped. He landed like a cat and ran on all fours out into the darkness before Terra knew what was happening. She called out, but of course it was too late. Terra stood there, confused, afraid, and worst of all, in doubt. Why wasn't she running after him? Maybe this was all a mistake. Maybe he was meant to live in the wild, like the veldt. She began to hear more howls, some from Gau. Suddenly growls were heard, then something large roared. She heard Gau roar back and it sounded weak and small in comparison. She grabbed her sword hilt. Why wasn't she running after him?  
  
With a cry, Terra turned around and ran into the house.  
  
Duane was at the stairs. He'd been debating whether or not he should have gone out with Terra, when she ran through the door. She was panting heavily.  
  
"Duane, get downstairs ok?"  
  
"What about the monsters?" my God, she looked haggard.  
  
"It's ok, everything's fine."  
  
"Are you sure Terra?" she sounded distant, as if she didn't even know he was there…and tired.  
  
"Yes." Very tired. She began to walk down the stairs. "Gau has it covered. He'll protect us."  
  
"What?! Terra you don't mean the wild boy do you? He—" before he could finish, she whirled around, and he could swear that her eyes were red.  
  
"His name is Gau and don't you ever forget that, understand? That 'boy' has lived all of his life in the wild, no tools, no weapons, no shelter. He's saved me in ways you'll never understand, so you give him the respect he deserves!"  
  
"O-okay…Terra." Duane gulped. He'd never seen Terra so angry before and it truly shocked him. She turned around and continued down the stairs into the orphanage. He paused for a moment, lost in his shock before following her down. Just as he was about to open the door, he stopped and listened. It was silent, all the animal cries had ceased.  
  
That night, Terra couldn't sleep. It was silent all night as she stared at the stairwell, no howls, no growls, no hoots…nothing. All she could think about was Gau, out there, with the monsters. How could she just turn and run? She heard nothing. Why wasn't she out helping him now? The stairs were five feet away. Still she heard nothing. There was nothing stopping her, she still had her sword clasped to her side. All she had to do was walk to the stairs. There was nothing out there. That was all. Oh god please, let me hear him! Duane woke up before dawn the next day to find Terra sleeping on the floor, as he knelt down to pick her up, he noticed she'd been crying.  
  
When Gau returned the next morning, Terra ran to him and hugged him, crying. He looked confused. She held him out in front of her, "Gau don't ever do that again! Do you hear me!?"  
  
"What wrong, Terra?"  
  
"Gau, what did you think you were doing running out into the fields?"  
  
Gau smiled, "Gau protecting Terra and friends."  
  
"Don't you know you could've been hurt? You could've been killed!"  
  
"Not Gau!" he said almost indignantly, "Gau strong. Besides, most of friends not want to fight anyway."  
  
"What do you mean Gau? Whose friends?"  
  
Gau yawned, he was obviously very tired, "Gau's friends, out on field. Gau talk, they listen. They talk, Gau listen. We make friends. Terra understand?"  
  
She understood. She understood so well, she was speechless. Just then Duane entered the room.  
  
"Oh, hello…uh, Gau, where were you all night? You know you shouldn't run off like that, it's very dangerous." He sounded oddly jovial to Terra.  
  
Gau looked at him, and Terra noticed his eyes became alive. He looked at Duane for a moment, then at Terra, then back. "Gau-do-just-fine-outside." He talked slowly and deliberately. It reminded Terra of times when Edgar would talk through his teeth, and whenever Edgar did that, it meant he was very, very, angry. And there was something else, Gau's hair was standing on end, each hair rigid like a porcupine. Duane noticed it too, and he began to look uncomfortable. He cleared his throat and went back into the door he came in from. Whatever he was gonna do, he must not have felt like doing it anymore. 


	4. Confrontation

Time passed quickly. By the end of the summer, Duane had completely finished two houses and their yards and built a porch in front of the main house, complete with swinging chair. He fitted a couple of rocking chairs for Terra and Katarin, and there they sat this evening, watching the sun set and the children play.  
  
"You know it's amazing how fast time flies, isn't it?" Terra said wistfully, not really talking to anyone in particular.  
  
"Hmmm? Oh no, not at all. I hope this summer never ends."  
  
Terra turned to Katarin. She was looking at her son in her lap, lost in his eyes. They named him Jonathan, after Duane's Grandfather, the day after Terra came back. And as happy as Terra was for Katarin and Duane, the feelings of regret and in smaller part envy, was inevitable. She looked at her with as much a sense of longing as of contentment.  
  
"Katarin…?" tears welled up in Terra's eyes.  
  
"What?" Katarin was still looking at Jonathan.  
  
"I—"  
  
The front door swung open and something emerged too fast to identify. It made a sound that could've been mistaken for a roar, but Terra recognized Gau's version of a cheer. So did Katarin, but she still shrieked and held Jonathan close. Terra watched Gau's dust as he ran out onto the fields. The children stopped playing and watched him run off. Terra stood up.  
  
"Alright children, bedtime.", she called and waited for the response.  
  
"Do we have to?"  
  
She was impressed at the synchronization. Course, they practiced every evening. Terra crossed her arms, raised her eyebrow, and tilted her head down just a little, sending just the right signal. She practiced too and they knew the answer. As they ran towards the house, she smiled and looked out onto the plains. Gau had already disappeared, quite literally into the sunset.  
  
When she had the talk with Gau as he came in that first night, a lot of thing's caved in on her, realizations. She realized that living in the wild, Gau had become nocturnal. She realized that he understood, "speak" as he put it, the animals better than anyone else did in the world. She realized that Gau had prevented something very big that first night. She realized that Gau would be the new protector of Molbiz, not her. It was a lot for her to take, but she was one who was used to heavy emotional weight.  
  
She turned to go inside and saw Duane by the door. He was waiting for her.  
  
"I think we need to talk."  
  
"I know." Terra sighed, he was right. This had to be dealt with, and she had waited long enough.  
  
They went inside and into the 'family' room. It was the area of the cave with the fireplace and table. Duane went over and started a fire. Terra waited silently by the table. When he was finished he sat at the other end. For quite a while they just sat there…staring.  
  
Duane was the first to start off. He cleared his throat, something Terra noticed he was doing a lot lately, "I've been wondering lately if we still need to live in this cave, you know?"  
  
"Oh really?", this was small talk and a run-around tactic, but Terra decided to play along.  
  
"Yeah, I mean, upstairs, the house is done. It doesn't need any more repairs. All the houses are livable in fact so I think it's time that, well, we move everyone out and seal up the cave."  
  
"You don't think that's a little rash?" she spoke calmly and disconnected.  
  
"I just can't think of any reason why we still have to be down here. In fact, I've considered having Katarin, Jonathan and I move into my grandfather's house."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Why not? It's not like there's anymore danger from rogue monsters."  
  
"And what were we doing with 'rogue' monsters in the first place, Duane?" It was time.  
  
"What?" The tone caught Duane off guard.  
  
"Before I left, the only monster we ever had any real problem with was Phunbabba. Then I come back, and the children are still forced inside day after day. Why?"  
  
"O-of course the monsters were as afraid of Phunbabba as we were." he stammered, "With him out of the way, there was nothing to stop them from coming into town and taking over…except me." Terra heard the conviction in his voice as he finished his sentence. It suddenly occurred to her that Duane didn't think what he'd done was wrong, he may have realized that most anyone else wouldn't approve, but in his mind, he'd done the right thing. Enough with this nonsense, Terra wasn't any good at this kind of conversational flanking.  
  
"Gau told me what happened while I was away." Duane looked away. He didn't reply. "According to him the animals stayed away from here after what happened to Phunbabba. But one night, one of the dogs ran away. Is that right?"  
  
"Yes." Duane replied thickly.  
  
"And how did you handle that, Duane?" she stared at him intently, but spoke calmly. Like a therapist.  
  
Duane gulped again, very audible, almost comical, "Um…well I…well…" He took a very deep breath and looked up at Terra and she could see fire in his eyes, "I took care of it."  
  
"You went hunting and brought back animal heads which you promptly put on stakes around the town. Duane what the hell were you thinking?" Terra's voice was rising. "Did you think it would scare them off? These animals are different than what you or I knew from the world before. They don't react in the same way. You made them angry and you endangered the children's lives."  
  
Terra stopped and waited for a response. Duane's eyes had a far away look in them, and he saw past Terra to a memory she knew nothing of. He said, "When I was very young, I think maybe seven or eight, my dad took me up on his knee one evening. He did this very rarely, and usually as a kind of, I don't know, coming of age thing. Anyway he told me a story about how the town was first settled by his forefathers. They settled right on the shore cause they couldn't penetrate deeper into the veldt. They almost didn't make it, not because of the environment or weather, but because of the animals. No one knew why, but the animals attacked constantly and viscously. Any attempts at farming were futile. There weren't enough supplies to create a decent defense against the veldt. They attacked mostly at night, going after the elders and children first. By the end of the first year, the settlement had dwindled from about two hundred to fifty settlers. Eventually it was learned that the animals feared fire. Unfortunately in order to make fire they needed wood. Something that the veldt lacked a great deal of. Things were desperate, my dad told me. They had to tear up the boats during the summer months when the animals attacked most frequently. They were stranded. It was looking hopeless for the food had almost run out. All of a sudden the animals stopped attacking. After a week they found out why. Since they had run out of wood, they couldn't burn the carcasses of the animals they'd killed, so they left them. Turns out the animals didn't like the smell of death, not the dangerous one's at any rate. After that, they made a perimeter of animal heads. It worked, and the settlement turned into Molbiz." Duane looked up at Terra and shrugged, "Dad wasn't much for endings. But that's how the town survived, nobody liked it, but they knew there was no alternative."  
  
Terra waited and Duane continued, "My dad died a year later. He told me more stories. But for some reason, that was the one I always remembered. When the dog disappeared, I had to do something."  
  
"Duane, the dog ran away on it's own. It's happened before, and they ended up coming right back as did this one. You know that."  
  
Duane jumped out of his chair, "Dammit, I didn't know that! All I knew was that one morning I woke up to find that the dog that guarded the orphanage was gone. What would you do, huh?"  
  
"I would stay here and guard the house. I would never leave the orphanage unattended. Duane you have to be smarter than this. We are alone out here, cut off, abandoned. And you cannot afford to be reckless again."  
  
Duane had stopped pacing. Terra saw a strange look in his eyes, she couldn't place it. She spoke solemnly, "They're children Duane, and they can't live without us."  
  
He didn't say anything.  
  
"You're thinking about Jonathan aren't you?"  
  
"Yeah." He didn't say anything else for a long while. "He made me take them down, the animal heads I mean. I knew what I'd tried wasn't working, I could tell from the animal cries. They were closer than before and they were louder…or at least they sounded that way, you know, more aggressive. I wasn't sure now if they would attack if I took them away. I spent an entire night thinking it over. Then I thought of Jonathan. I didn't want him to see those rotting corpses everyday. I stuck 'em out too far for even the children to identify them, but they knew what they were, and so would he. That's why I decided to bury them and burn the stakes."  
  
Terra stared at Duane in awe, and suddenly felt foolish. She had planned to confront him about this event and explain to him the error of his ways, but he had already done it for her. She should have realized that, but she didn't, and now she had wasted…how much time? She looked up at the clock. It was one in the morning.  
  
"My God, is it that late?" she didn't mean to say it aloud.  
  
Duane turned to look at her, then at the wall. "Yeah, it's getting late. How bout we talk about this tomorrow."  
  
It was a pathetic excuse and Terra knew it. She was gonna use it herself.  
  
"Ok, I'm so tired, I might just sleep where I sit." She genuinely meant it. But she found the strength to get up and get to her bed, where she had dreams that turned into nightmares and back again into dreams. 


	5. Discoveries

Summer turned to autumn, but it was difficult to tell. Although the catastrophe of the year earlier had moved Molbiz to the south, it was still in the planets moderate weather belt, and so was relatively constant in terms of storms and cloud cover and whatnot. Of course there was no change in the environment to signal the coming of a new season. Any attempts that had been made to grow the vegetation were abandoned long ago and it could be years before the ground could be capable of bearing plant life. And so the only true signs of the changing of the seasons was in the mild temperature decrease, and the surprisingly accurate calendar Katarin was able to keep. That and the start of the new school year.  
  
When Terra first made the decision to stay in Molbiz, one of the first things she felt was necessary was the continuing of the children's' education. Other than the obvious need to keep them busy while spending days in a cave, she also needed to distract them from the fact that were spending days upon days in a cave, for perhaps the rest of their lives. Therefore school was seven days a week, even Duane and Katarin would have to attend. But even then, she soon realized it would be impossible to keep all the children inside at all times, no matter how dangerous it was outside. Eventually she started allowing the children play times outside of the orphanage. She would change the hours and days in which to do this, never allowing the animals to establish a hunting pattern. She also dug out hiding holes should an attack occur. She was also extremely strict on how far they could wander, no one was allowed beyond the borders of the town. Except during the summer, when the animals seemed to just disappear for two months. Terra didn't know why and she didn't care. All that changed when she came back.  
  
Terra and Duane had many more discussions, all far more productive than the first. They both agreed it was time the children got out of the cave. They sealed it up, after removing all the furniture and supplies. The orphanage became the school and all the children were split into small groups of two or three and put into one of the houses all of which Duane had repaired. Duane and Katarin moved into Duane's family house. Other ideas were not so easily agreed on. Terra was considering trying to open communications with the outside, but Duane thought it was too soon and too dangerous. "Besides, what would be the point?" he asked, "Most of the other towns are in as bad a shape as we are, if not worse. The only country that has survived is Figaro and that's a three month journey, one way." A compromise was made. Instead of Terra traveling abroad, she asked Gau to ask any migrating birds to send messages to the closest towns and bring back any replies. In exchange, they would be given protection from predatory birds, and so Duane built a large aviary for them. Despite himself he began to get sick of tools.  
  
During these talks, Terra realized Duane was not the boy she'd left behind. He was now unmistakably a man, and a very capable one at that. While the intense project of rebuilding the houses had literally changed the face of the town, she blew it off as nothing more than something to keep himself busy. Eventually it occurred to her just how difficult and complex his "hobby" really was. And when they talked, they talked as equals. Duane's suggestions and arguments were intelligent and thought out. He never started an argument to start an argument, when he disagreed it was usually for a good reason. He had become an equal, just as important to the town as Terra. She was never sure how she felt about that.  
  
During all the talks between Duane and Terra, the issue of Gau never came up. This was due partly to the fact that Duane didn't feel he needed to be talked about. Gau's nocturnal habits meant that he had little to no contact with him or the other children. He never socialized or indeed talked to anyone except Terra and only on rare occasions. Duane had all but forgot about him.  
  
Terra on the other hand, felt he did need to be talked about, and soon. She had taken him in with the purpose of reintroducing him into society. It seemed to make sense at the time, Molbiz was a place he was familiar with and it was filled with people closer to his own age (although admittedly, the eldest child was only ten). But the events of the summer had distracted her and Gau seemed to be keeping the animals at bay. But the children had no contact with him and the younger ones eventually forgot he existed. Terra realized that she had accomplished the exact opposite of what she'd set out to do. Now she would have to fix it, but how? It occurred to her that she never thought out how she was going to get Gau to socialize with everyone. Suddenly she was forced to confront a whole slew of questions. How would the children react to more exposure to Gau? How would he react to them? What if they didn't get along? Children could be mean, how far would he go to defend himself? What if he was apprehensive or stubborn? Wait! What if he didn't want to be reintegrated with people? That was something she hadn't even considered. Gau had spent all his known life in the wild. Suddenly forcing him into this wholly different and alien situation could be extremely traumatic. Terra wasn't sure what to do. Eventually she decided she would have to have a long talk with Gau.  
  
This was easier said than done. Terra had never before actually tried to seek him out and talk with him and it turned out there were precious few times when he was available. If Gau wasn't out in the fields doing Lord only knows what, he was sleeping, deeply. And ever since the cave was sealed up, he was no where to be found. Terra had been worried sick that day until Gau suddenly appeared and told her he found a comfortable place to sleep. She soon found out that Gau had a hole dug that lead right into the cave, that was when she truly began to think about Gau's situation. But Gau was constantly on the move and so one evening, Terra finally climbed down his hole and waited for him to wake up. She was amazed at what she found.  
  
The entire cave had been covered in soft dirt to the point where it hid the floor completely. Terra was forced to take off her shoes, which were sinking into the earth. She looked around but couldn't make out anything very well, it was very dark. On the far side of the cave the ground seemed to get darker, like a shadow on the floor. Walking slowly towards it she smelled the strong earthy aroma of wet dirt, and she could hear water dripping. She knelt down next to the patch of wet dirt looked at it closely. There was something on top of the dirt, but it was too dark to make out. She bent her head close to the ground.  
  
"Hi Terra!"  
  
Terra shrieked, jumped up, and hit her head on the ceiling all at same time. She jumped about and rubbed her head vigorously, while Gau stood at the entrance to his cave with his head tilted to the side. He was confused as to why Terra responded to his greeting with this strange dance although he was happy she decided to pay him a surprise visit. Quickly Terra regained her composure, feeling quite embarrassed. She sighed then cleared her throat which Gau had learned meant that she had done something she thought was dumb, wanted to say something important, or wanted to sigh and clear her throat. Turned out to be all of the above.  
  
"Gau you startled me. I thought you'd be asleep down here."  
  
"I was, but I had to go pee."  
  
"Oh…uh…okay. Listen Gau, I need to talk to you about something very—" Terra stopped suddenly, "What did you say?"  
  
"I said, 'I was, but I had to go—'"  
  
"I?" Terra asked slowly, "Did you say I?"  
  
"Yes." Gau replied calmly but hesitantly, as if the answer was so obvious it didn't need to be questioned (which was how he felt). Terra just stared back at him and Gau became very nervous. He was seriously considering that Terra had lost her mind, or as he put it "possessed by a bad ghost". She fell down on her rear end with a solid thud and puff of dust. Gau rushed to her side. She looked at him and took a deep breath. Finally she asked, "Where, I mean, when, I mean, how? I don't understand."  
  
She did soon enough. It seems that without anyone ever knowing, Gau kept a close, very close, eye on the town. He listened to everything he could possibly listen to, all the records they played when they played them, all the discussions they discussed when they had them, even all the children's rhymes when they rhymed them. It was how he had learned to speak when he was young, listening to the people of Molbiz whenever he felt courageous enough to venture near the town. Now that he felt no danger, he could observe at his leisure.  
  
"We had always thought you slept during the day, and went out in the fields at night." Terra said. They had sat down Indian style across from each other in the part of the cave where the fireplace had been. It was still there, even Duane couldn't take it apart brick by brick. It now served as a ventilation shaft for the cave.  
  
"I did not sleep from dusk to dawn Terra." Gau replied indignantly. Terra was absolutely amazed at how fluent his speech had become. There were still some slip ups that showed he wasn't perfect, he talked somewhat stiffly and concise, almost robotic, and he had to search for words in his mind once in a while. Also she noticed his voice was uneven, abrasively going from high to low pitch seemingly at random. But Gau had gone from a five-year-old level speech to adult level, in less than a few weeks.  
  
"I began to have…uh…problems with the animals." Gau continued, and he bowed his head. "My…voice was wrong and I could not talk with them. I tried to call them, but they could not…um…under-stand me."  
  
Terra nodded to herself, his voice was changed, and she suddenly understood why. Gau was going through puberty and while she hadn't even become aware of it, the animals were more than likely far more perceptive. Apparently they weren't very accepting to his changes.  
  
"They began to…a-a-aban-abandon—" he had pushed his legs up to his chest and now buried his head between his knees. Terra could see he was trying desperately not to cry. He knew the word abandon; and Terra felt her a pit in her stomach as she realized what he must have been thinking about. She rushed over to him and hugged him. "Oh Gau, I'm so sorry." She whispered to him. He buried his face in her chest and wept. Then he said something, muffled and incomprehensible, something that may or may not have been "Mommy".  
  
A second, or a minute, or an hour, or a day had passed when Terra looked up and happened to spot the wet dirt. Her eyes had become used to the dark and she could make out what was covering the wet spot of dirt. She would later wonder how she could accept what she was seeing so easily, dark was dark, whether you got used to it or not, and…it just couldn't be possible, not this soon. Terra turned her head back to Gau as the water continued to drip on the plant life that covered almost all of the wet soil. 


	6. Lesson Plans

Two weeks before the end of August, Terra had another talk with Duane in the new school house. This time, Katarin was included. It seemed that Duane had not bothered to mention the talks he had with Terra, and led Katarin to believe all the wonderful changes that had been brought about was his doing alone.  
  
"You know, in my defense," he said, "I never said they were my ideas." He smiled sheepishly at the two very perturbed women facing him from across the table. Silence. "Okay, I'll shut up now."  
  
"Right," said Terra, "Now on to the topic at hand: the new school year. Now as you know, this will be the first truly whole school year we have ever had. While I was gone, I spent a lot of time figuring out a way to organize a school schedule and I think I've come up with the best solution, except for one problem but I'll speak of that later. First off, I don't think we should separate the children based on sex. I remember when we tried that last time and it just added to the confusion of scheduling and I don't believe it's necessary. Okay?"  
  
Duane and Katarin had no qualms with that whatsoever. It seemed like a good idea at the time, it was how they had been taught when they were young. Unfortunately, the form of education Terra was teaching was completely foreign to them. Their parents had home schooled them, girls learning the ways of house and home, while the boys learned how to tend the fields. They'd never heard of 'classes' and 'curriculums'. There were twice as many girls as boys which meant they had to wait a long time before they started their class, and nothing was taught to them that wasn't taught to the girls. Still they tried to mix some old with the new and what resulted was confusion and poor results.  
  
"Okay," Terra continued, "Now, here's how I've planned it. Go ahead and stop me if you get confused. I think the two youngest girls are too young. They're the only two who don't know how to read or write at all. Katarin, I think you should take care of them while I'm doing classes."  
  
"But I think they're old enough to begin learning to read and write." Replied Katarin. "In fact, I believe they're around the same age I was taught how to read."  
  
"Oh, I don't want you to just keep an eye on them, I want you to start teaching them the fundamentals of reading and writing. I don't think there's enough room in this school house…" Terra looked around, "…nope. Perhaps you can teach them at your house."  
  
"I know!" cried Katarin in sudden inspiration, "I can teach them out near the garden. I can call it the kiddie garden."  
  
Duane snickered and was shot a look by his wife and Terra. He raised his hands in surrender.  
  
"Anyway, it's so stuffy in the house, the fresh air will do them good. But still Terra, I really don't know the first thing about teaching."  
  
"Oh that's quite alright," replied Terra, "neither do I to be honest. But I'll give you advice when you need it and I'll hand you assignments to give to the children."  
  
"Um, I don't mean to be a spoil sport here," Duane suddenly grew up enough courage to enter the conversation, "but…well, how are we going to teach these kids. We don't have any supplies."  
  
Terra looked at him with a strange smile. It said that she was expecting that question and had already taken care of it. But Duane wasn't about to let her brush it aside. He leaned over and smiled right back, daring her to show him her solution. She got up and walked towards the closet, opened it and bent over to pick up something. Duane leaned over the table, straining to see what mystery prize she was grabbing, and felt a strong slap on the back of his head. He fell on the ground, but not before hitting his head on the table, staring at a very angry Katarin. At first he didn't understand, then it hit. He almost laughed, but realized that Katarin probably wouldn't think it very funny.  
  
Oh, you've got to be kidding me!  
  
He decided to nip this nonsense in the bud right now. Getting up he spoke dryly, "Katarin, don't be silly. I wanted to see what she was picking up…nothing more."  
  
"And here's what I picked up." Terra called to them. She brought a rather large briefcase she was carrying down on the table with a slam and popped open the lid. "During my adventures, I was able to pick up a great many things…at many times a great cost.  
  
Duane and Katarin both looked inside curiously. Mostly there were books, tall and thick, but also there was bags of varying sizes tied with bits of yarn, stacks of paper, and all other manner of school utensils. Terra brought them out, one by one, stacking the books on top of each other and so forth. All the while she spoke.  
  
"No indeed, these were very difficult to come by and we'll have to use them sparingly. I don't imagine a shipment to come in for another, hmmm…I'd say six, maybe seven months. I'm afraid that we'll probably have to wait another year before we can allow the children to use pencils and rulers and such. Although I was able to find a remarkably large number of chalk sticks, quite amazing." Her voice lowered, as if she were talking to herself. "Amazing."  
  
Duane cut in, "I'm sorry, but did you say shipment?"  
  
"Of course, why do you think I kept pressing the issue of communication with the outside world? I've been sending letters to Nikeah, Tzen, Albrook, and the kingdom of Figaro. The king was the first to reply and I expect a shipment of books to be arriving within three months at the latest."  
  
"Hmph!" snorted Duane, "Some king, all he can lend is a couple of books."  
  
Terra rubbed her head as if she had a headache. "Duane, I'm feeling real good right now, don't ruin that for me."  
  
"But aren't you supposed to be in good with this guy?"  
  
"Duane…"  
  
"Shuttin up."  
  
"Now, as I was saying, three months at the latest…but that was last month. With any luck, they'll arrive in a month or two. Until then, we need to prepare them for a different curriculum. One that involves a lot more reading. Now I'm not sure how this is gonna be accomplished which is one of the reason's I aske—."  
  
Duane interrupted her, again. He was reading one of the books and giggling.  
  
"Something funny Duane?" Terra was now out and out angry with him and she saw no reason to hide it. Duane, however didn't seem to notice.  
  
"Terra, look at these books, and then think of who you're gonna try and get to read them. All these books are thicker that the walls of this school. The History of the War of the Magi…" he showed her the book he was reading, at least and inch and a half thick, and he could barely keep from laughing. "Volume…one!" That did it and he busted out with a guffaw. "Oh man, you have got to be kidding me! These are children Terra. Our oldest kid wouldn't have the patience to sit through the smallest book you have here."  
  
Terra snorted, "I think you'd be surprised how far Gau has become."  
  
That put Duane off for a moment. "Gau? Oh, oh, that's right, Gau. Well, I…really wouldn't know about that Terra." He sounded uncomfortable, "But, but Terra, yeah, Timothy's not gonna be able to read this (waving the book) or any of these others without great difficulty, and he's the most learned."  
  
"No he isn't Duane…you are." Terra smiled.  
  
"What? What's that supposed to mea—ooooh no. Oh no, you can't be serious. There's no wa—."  
  
"I want you and Katarin to start reading as much of this stuff as possible before the start of the school year. This is all we have so we're going to have to make the best of it. I'm gonna read up on all the history and science books. Duane, I spotted some how to books and some reference books, you can handle those. Basically, I want both of you to grab whatever you can and…well, learn." She shrugged.  
  
"So we can be better teachers, right Terra?" Katarin asked.  
  
"Exactly!" cried Terra. She could tell Katarin felt out of place, but she could also tell that she didn't realize how helpful she would've been had she been a part of these discussions earlier.  
  
"Hey," Daune chimed in, "now that I'm thinking about him, what about Gau? He may be the oldest, but he's also the…least educated. You say he knows how to speak proper speech, that's all fine and good, but I don't think any of those beasts he runs round with ever taught him how to read."  
  
"Don't worry about him, I'm gonna help him catch up."  
  
"He's thirteen years old by the looks of him. That's eight years of catching up Terra. Where are you gonna find the time to teach him and the children."  
  
Terra replied by just staring at him. He didn't understand it at first and he looked at Katarin for an explanation. She was staring at him too. He looked nervously between them, then his eyes widened. He suddenly burst into a kind of crazed laughter. "Ha ha ha ha ha, ahhhhno. Nope. No way. Not in this world or the next. I-I-I don't know how to teach these kids!" He looked like a cornered rabbit.  
  
"Duane," Terra said softly, "you're just as experienced a teacher as I am. You seem to have got it into your head that I know what I'm doing." He began to babble. "Duane, Duane, look at me. You can do this."  
  
Duane looked up at Terra, and opened his mouth to reply, when one of the children screamed outside.  
  
"Jessica!" Katarin gasped.  
  
They all got up and ran outside. 


	7. The Monster

The scream came from the side of the schoolhouse. Terra was the first around the corner and saw all the children huddled around the Gau's doorstep (as she came to know it). The dogs were jumping about among them barking. The older children were screaming into the hole, while the younger ones were crying. Timothy saw Terra and ran to her.  
  
"Timmy, wha—?"  
  
Before she could say anymore a roar was heard inside the cave. The children sprang away and instantly fell quiet. After a few moments of tense silence passed, Jimmy, a five-year-old boy prone to be overly curious, crept up to the hole in the ground and peered in.  
  
A flash of something jumped out so fast that Jimmy didn't have time to be scared. A cloud of dust followed after and still Jimmy just stood there frozen. He would eventually come to his senses and wet himself but at the moment his mind was hiding in a corner waiting for all the excitement to pass.  
  
The other children's' reactions were much quicker. They screamed and scattered in all directions. Terra, on the other hand, stared at Gau in amazement. He was running faster than she had ever imagined, so fast that the dust flew into the air after he had already passed. She was transfixed on him and eventually came to her senses as well. What in the world was he doing? Out in the middle of the day and running like an…well… She had never seen anything move so fast. He ran out into the field and his dust trail followed, and the cloud partly blocked the view of him. He was running full throttle straight towards a dead tree and at the very last minute made a sharp turn towards the south. His dust trail did not follow him. Instead it continued ahead and engulfed the tree. Terra then saw and heard an explosion of earth as the tree was suddenly lifted, roots and all, into the air as if it was as light as a feather. The dust trail slowly turned south and again followed Gau at a much greater speed. It was quickly catching up. Gau was now running towards a large slab of rock that had been sticking out of the ground since the beginning of time. It had been there when animals began to congregate on the veldt, when the settlers first came ashore, when the world ended and began again it had stood. A twenty-foot long, fifteen-foot wide rock with a smooth almost polished face jutting out the ground at about a ten- percent grade. Gau now ran to it as fast as his feet and arms could take him. The dust trail was now throwing up dirt in chunks and cracking the earth, moving with incredible speed. He was less than twenty yards away, but the cloud was less than ten. Using strength that wasn't there, he made that final burst of speed and beyond hope and fate, made it to the rock. He didn't stop, but ran and jumped off the other end into the air. Instants later, the dust cloud crashed onto the rock like a tsunami. Out of the cloud emerged a solid object, a creature of immense proportions. It slid up the rock and flew into the air.  
  
All this happened in a matter of moments and Terra had barely enough time to register the fact that Gau was being chased by something before she could see what that something was. It was a Zone Eater, or something like it, for it had a pale yellow skin, and it was far too fast. And it was big, very, very big. It blocked the sun and engulfed in shadow, but she thought in those precious few moments that she could make out…what…spikes? Spikes lined the body of the worm. She was shattered out of her daze again when she heard the faint thump of Gau landing on the ground and realized that the worm was going to land on top of him.  
  
"Gau!"  
  
As the creature descended towards the ground it opened up it's front orifice and revealed thousands upon thousands of teeth that seemed to extend into swords lined up against one another. Gau jumped out of the way as far as his legs could take him and he just barely made it. In one smooth motion, the incredibly large mouth slammed into the ground and swallowed the dirt sinking it in deep enough for the spikes in it's skin to grip the soil and propel it back underground as quick as if it had dived into water.  
  
"Terra!"  
  
Terra turned to see Gau running towards her, but not nearly as fast. In fact it looked as if he was limping. The foot on his limp leg was black and shiny. Terra couldn't understand it until he got within about fifty yards.  
  
"Oh my! Gau, you're bleeding!"  
  
"Terra!" he spoke through panting breaths. "Get...the children…out of here… Run… Hurry…" He collapsed onto his hands and knees. Terra knelt down and put his arm around her.  
  
"Gau, what's going on. You have to tell me."  
  
He found his footing and stood up. "I don't know. It came last night, but I didn't know what it was. Not until…" he fell silent.  
  
"What? Gau, what?" Terra felt sudden dread come over her.  
  
The look on his face and the tone of his voice at that moment in time chilled Terra, terrified her. In his voice was the realization that time and the events within it are unchangeable, irreversible. Final.  
  
"Get the remaining children in the schoolhouse."  
  
Terra's eyes widened. She whirled around. The children were crouched around Duane and Katarin against the wall of the schoolhouse. Some were crying, but most were very quiet. Duane had a blank look on his face and Katarin was looking at each of the children in turn over and over. She stopped and slowly looked up at Terra. She was sobbing quietly as well.  
  
"Jessica…" Terra wasn't sure if she said it aloud or not.  
  
The realization hit her hard and quick. The screaming agony, intense loss, bitter anger, dreadful sorrow, the icy feeling of helplessness to stop, go back and do things different. All at once, and too quick to measure, they passed through her and tested her soul. In that instant, the entire fate of the children of Molbiz was decided. Terra was the embodiment of the security and love they had. She was their mother and if she could not withstand, they would be lost.  
  
But she did withstand, though it would take its toll. In the wake of the storm Terra felt nothing, but was not without purpose.  
  
"Duane, Katarin, take the children to the attic of the schoolhouse, now."  
  
She didn't yell or use a stern commanding tone, but something in her voice broke through their shock and they understood without any doubt what to do and how to do it. They calmed the children and brought them into the school without another word.  
  
Terra turned back to Gau, but he was no longer there. She suddenly heard the dogs barking near one of the houses. She ran to the back of the building and there they were, in front of Duane's and Katarin's house, barking and growling at…her? They were glaring at her menacingly and for a moment she was at a loss again. Then she understood and turned to look behind her.  
  
There it was, out in the field. Needless to say she couldn't see it, but she saw the clouds of dust it shook into the air now not nearly as large and thick. Terra assumed that meant it was either slowing down or deep down in the earth. It was almost half a mile away and seemed to be moving in a circle. There was something in the middle of the circle. She couldn't make out what it was, but she didn't need to.  
  
"Gau." She gasped.  
  
He stood there not moving as the clouds of dust flowed onto him from the wind. Terra was becoming unraveled. She had just come to the realization that one of her children had died, and the only thing that kept her from breaking down was the need to protect the rest and make sure they didn't meet the same fate, but if she lost Gau... She ran into the schoolhouse and straight for the closet. Yanking open the slide door, she simply tossed everything out of the way until she found what she was looking for. Terra hadn't felt she would ever need her sword again, and now she cursed herself for being so naïve. She turned around just as the stairway that led to the attic was swung down. Katarin almost fell down the steep stairs, but Duane caught her and struggled to drag her back up. She was hysterical and screaming madly.  
  
"Katar—"  
  
"My child, my child, my child—" Terra caught those words repeated amongst the screams.  
  
Oh no, Jonathan! Terra's mind flew back to when they had started their meeting. Katarin had said that she left him in his crib for his afternoon nap and would have to check up on him in a few minutes. Terra reassured her they'd wait for her when she'd have to leave.  
  
She bolted out of the door intent on grabbing the child and taking him up to the attic, but as she passed the threshold and saw the field, she remembered Gau. The cloud was very large and thick and the circle had now tightened greatly. The dust rose into the air in a funnel that rose hundreds of feet into the air. The immensity of it did not effect her though, she knew that Gau was in there somewhere. Even if he wanted to fight back, his chances would be slim without some help, but if he was still just standing in the center, waiting to…no! No!  
  
No, no, no, no…  
  
Standing there, in that moment, Terra was forced to accept that she could not save him without risking the life of Duane and Katarin's newborn child. She knew Gau was still alive, or else the worm would not be circling, but if she went to his aid now, the worm would most likely go to the next animal it sensed, the dogs barking at it from Duane's house, straight towards Jonathan. She knew she wouldn't be able to overtake it. There was no hope of saving both. It was the worst decision she would ever have to make in her entire life. 


	8. Terra's Decision

Terra knew what she had to do of course, but in those certain moments when the realization hits that you are going to lose something very dear no matter what you do, well, the choice is not so easy to execute. Still, for lack of better term, it had to be done.  
  
She turned her back to the tornado and ran as fast as she could to Duane's house. No sadness, terror, regret. Nothing, only an emotionless sense of logical steps. Run to the gate, no time to open, jump on the left foot. The front doors closed, turn knob with the right hand, use momentum to open and lead with the left foot so as to sidestep to the stairs, jump to the fourth-no fifth step and skip as many as possible. The cries are from the left-hand door, turn and push, there he is, grab and turn around…  
  
Duane had built a small little device above the crib in what would prove a vain attempt to keep Jonathan asleep during the night. It was assorted stuffed animals, bells, and shiny objects dangled from strings attached to a rotating wheel. They jingled and shook as Terra grabbed Jonathan and the sound made her hesitate for an instant. She became aware of a rumbling and a faint vibration. It didn't stop her, until she was at the front door.  
  
She had just enough time to see the tornado dissipate. The plains were empty. There was a deathly silence, no wind could be heard or felt. The logic was swept away and Terra assaulted once again. Gau was gone, Jessica was gone. It didn't make sense. It wasn't fair. She was given no warnings, no signs of this monster's arrival. And that universal of questions just repeated in her mind till it almost lost meaning. Why did the monster come? Why wasn't she given warning? Why were there no signs? Why did they have to die?  
  
Why…why…why…why…?  
  
How long she stood there, an instant, an eternity, will never be known. What is known is what brought her back: Jonathan. He began to cry. Terra looked down at him. He was alive and safe. That was worth something. That was worth a lot. She shook him to silence and became aware of the dogs, barking at the empty fields, and…  
  
Terra eyes whipped up to the fields. Was it her imagination? A sound that could have been a voice or a gust of wind? The dogs would not keep quiet. Suddenly a wind did pick up and carried the sound to her ears so that it could not be mistaken.  
  
"Gau?" her voice was barely audible.  
  
Far out into the field where the dust tornado had just been, a small figure could be seen. It appeared to be crawling out of the earth itself. As soon as it was out it wasted no time and ran as fast as it could (it was limping slightly on the left leg) towards the town. As it came closer and apparently regained it's energy, it began to throw it arms about. Seemingly, it was gesturing for Terra to leave, or get away, for Terra was now running towards him. There was no doubt now, for she could hear Gau, though she did not hear what he was saying, and the boy's odd way of running on all fours was unmistakable.  
  
"Go! Run! Terra!"  
  
Terra stopped running and turned around towards the dogs. They were no longer barking, they were no longer there. She turned back to Gau. She could see him clearly now, and there was a look of mad desperation in his face.  
  
Gau disappeared as a blast of earth erupted a hundred yards in front of Terra. The ground shook and she almost lost her balance. The monster burst forth and roared, a sound that at her proximity, Terra could actually feel. She turned and ran as fast as she could.  
  
Terra felt dizzy. The foul reek of the creature was all around her. Her eyes watered and she couldn't see where she was running. The sound of the pursuit was all around her, drowning out everything else. But she ran on faster than she ever did before, holding Jonathan tightly. There was no hope of escape of course, but that never entered her mind. All that was left was the need to survive, that basic instinct to get as far away from danger as quickly as possible. The ground shook, but she was not aware. Blind to everything but the need to escape. But she tripped, and just before she hit the ground, she was aware again, and twisted herself over, hitting the ground on her side. She heard a crack and an intense pain spiked through her shoulder to her neck. She gasped, but not from the pain. The fall had forced Jonathan out over her arms. She had no time to left to do anything.  
  
She heard a sound faintly above the noise of the earth a roar that was not that of the creature. The ground exploded underneath and she was blinded. She felt herself being thrown aside. A rush of air and then she hit a wall, on her broken shoulder. She screamed. The pain course through to encase her, and by reflex she turned her wounded side away from the wall as she slid to the ground propped up against it. The pain instantly cleared her vision as it tore away her thought. The monster was tearing up the ground at an incredible speed, it's body bobbing up and down on the surface of the earth. The ground was flying hundreds of feet in the air in huge chunks. It was chasing Gau, who was running now on two legs. There was no sign of a limp. He was running towards the cliffs behind the town and showed no signs of slowing. In his left arm was a bundle.  
  
"No…o…" Terra was fighting consciousness now and her voice was barely that of a whisper.  
  
She watched as Gau ran to the cliffs. She watched as Gau leaped into the air just a few feet from the precipice clutching the bundle tightly with one hand. Once again he disappeared into a cloud of dust before Terra could see if he landed. She heard the roar of the monster, but it was a higher pitch, like a cry. It faded away slowly, then she heard a great splash. The dust cleared and Terra saw the great ditch that showed the monster's passage. It led right off the edge of the cliff. But there was nothing else. The cliff was empty.  
  
"No…" Terra reached out with her right arm. It took all her strength. She could see her hand in front of her, grasping desperately at nothing, but her vision was now blurry once again. The tears burned her eyes. This…this…it…was…  
  
Wrong…  
  
She closed her eyes. When they opened again, she was in a dream. Every thing was faint and faded, as of a very old painting. It was also very bright. All the children were huddle around her, looking at her with concerned faces. They spoke but she could not hear them. They were gently but urgently pushed aside by Duane. He kneeled down and put his face right in front of her, apparently yelling. She wasn't sure if it was his voice, but she did hear a very faint sound when he spoke, as if his voice was miles away. His hand touched her face, but she could not feel it. When it came back, it was covered in blood. He put her right arm over his shoulders and lifted her from the ground. Terra felt like she was flying. She saw over the children's heads. Katarin was on her knees a few feet away, facing the cliff. Terra couldn't see her face but could tell that she was screaming. She looked out at the cliff face and suddenly she was there, at the precipice, overlooking the sea. She looked down and saw a hand gripping the edge. She knelt down and looked over. There was Gau, covered in dust and clutching Jonathan in his left arm. Desperately he was trying to pull himself up. Slowly Terra extended her arm. It was a transparent light pink. She gripped the wrist of the hand and pulled with all her might. Suddenly she felt an intense heat within her and could see her arm ignite into a bright pink flame.  
  
Terra was suddenly reminded of the final battle with Kefka and what she had said to him. "It's not the net result of one's life that's important," she remembered saying, "It's the day-to-day concerns, the personal victories, and the celebration of life…and love." She remembered the strength she felt when confronting him, strength that came from her companions, words that came from her father. She had felt him inside as he spoke through her, felt the word's that were directed towards her as much as they were towards Kefka. And then she had no longer felt any fear.  
  
Terra did was not afraid now. She saw Gau look up and his eyes locked onto hers. His eyes widened, then he smiled. He began to cry.  
  
"Thank you Terra…" 


	9. Those That Remain

Katarin's reaction to the sight of Gau holding her child and leaping off of the cliff was a very strange sight to behold had anyone been paying attention. Oddly enough she was far too far away to actually know that the bundle of what was, from her vantage point, nothing more than a piece of cloth, was her child, but she did.  
  
Duane had done the best he could to restrain her while they waited for Terra to come back with Jonathan. But when she heard the roar and the sound of the pursuit following behind the schoolhouse (towards their house, and her child) he could restrain her no longer. With a desperate twist of her body, she loosed herself from her husband and rushed to the trapdoor. The stairs descent was too slow for her and she jumped to the floor below. She landed hard and it took the wind out of her, but she didn't stop. She heard Duane yell at the kids to stay there and somewhere deep in the back of her mind she was thinking, "He really shouldn't talk to kids like that, I'd never let him talk to Jonathan that way." She was out the door gasping for lost breath and ran so fast, she had to grasp the edge of the building to make the turn round the corner. She wasn't even aware of Terra slouched against the side of the schoolhouse, blood covering her left side and flowing around the edges of her mouth. All she saw was her child being thrown off a cliff.  
  
Duane stumbled down the stairs and almost fell face first onto the floor. As he ran to the door, he heard the children clambering down after. He told them to stay up there, but he took no heed of their disobedience. He was afraid, afraid for his wife, afraid for his son, and afraid for Terra. He found that he was even afraid for Gau, though he honestly did not really know the boy. Everything was falling apart, but he was gonna do his damnedest to keep things together for as long as he could. As he turned the corner to the side of the house he saw Katarin on her knees screaming and Terra slouched against the wall. Her eyes were closed and she was covered in blood.  
  
Duane was a seventeen-year-old boy. A teenage child thrust into the role of provider, father, and protector of the future of his entire culture. To have a family at his age, while rather young, was acceptable and not uncommon, and he was quite capable of the role of husband and father. But he was not just a husband, not just a father. In one swift stroke, he had become the eldest native member of Molbiz and now played the role of elder. To get this far and achieve his accomplishments was more than anyone could ever imagine. Those scattered few around the world who knew of the destruction of the town, if they saw it now, would not believe their own eyes. He was a very intelligent, very strong, and very capable boy. But as he gazed at Katarin screaming, Terra bleeding, and the children crying and this intelligent, strong and very capable boy did not know what to do. So he stood there and waited for the answer to come.  
  
"Wake up! Please wake up Terra! Please!"  
  
The voice of one of the children snapped him out of his trance. It gave him his direction and with a final glance at his wife, he pushed his was to Terra. She was leaning forward like a puppet without strings, her head bowed down and titled slightly to the right so that her face was hidden. A stream of blood trailed from her chin. Duane picked up her head, her eyes were closed, and he couldn't tell if she was alive.  
  
"Terra! Terra!," Duane tried to wake her up. She was asleep, just asleep, she had to be asleep. She had to. "Terra! Wake up! Terra!"  
  
He put her right arm around her shoulder (he knew as soon as he saw her that her left shoulder or arm was broken) and as gently as he could, lifted her and picked her up off the ground. He looked up and saw Katarin, there on ground, alone. He turned away with no feelings of guilt. This was something he had to do, that he was meant to do. Katarin needed to be alone, he couldn't help even if he was there for her. It was hard to explain but the feeling of purpose was absolute and he turned away, about to take Terra into the schoolhouse.  
  
"Hey, what's that?"  
  
Duane turned. It was Timothy. He was staring out towards the sea, and the children all gasped as they saw what he saw. Gau was walking towards them very slowly, he seemed to drag one of his legs behind him. He was a solid dust brown color. In his left arm was Jonathan, naked with his blanket nowhere to be seen, but he not a speck of dust was on him. Gau was now close enough for Duane to see him clearly. His eyes were different, he looked as someone who had found salvation in the middle of the desert. But he was crying softly, two dark lines painted on his face from the eyes to the edge of his chin. Duane stood mesmerized by the look, and watched silently as he walked straight up to Katarin whose head was buried in her hands. She had not realized he was there.  
  
Katarin was struggling with the realization that her child was dead. The love she showed for him, it was like nothing she had ever experienced in her life, save that one moment, that one instant, when she and her beloved were one. But this was different, softer, but just as intense and powerful and would overwhelm her whenever she stared into his bright eyes. She would lose herself in her love for him, losing sense of time and place. And then she'd feel a hand on her shoulder and there would be her husband looking down at her and their child, smiling. Those moments, they were so precious, and they would never happen again.  
  
Katarin was not Terra, she did not hold the burden of responsibility. She did not feel the same need to persevere, and so had no shield against the torment and torture. All the dark feelings of loss, anger, fear, guilt, sorrow swept through her and left her empty. She was too afraid to do anything but fall down and waste away. There was nothing else.  
  
"Ka-ta-rin."  
  
A gentle, but firm hand grasped her shoulder and she lifted her head to the voice. Gau was standing over her smiling. And in his arms, crying softly, was Jonathan. She didn't say anything or make a sound, she just stood up and gently took her child into her arms. Jonathan stopped crying immediately. She looked at him, and then at Gau. He looked at her and she perceived in his eyes the feelings of love and happiness. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came. Gau just nodded his head and walked on.  
  
Gau turned to Duane still standing there with Terra in his arms. The children were huddled all around him. They looked at Gau with wonder in their eyes, but they were no longer afraid of him. He walked up to Duane and looked down at Terra. The blood had dried and dust particles gathered over the dark red lines and made them shine and sparkle in the sun. Terra looked like she was sleeping and her face seem to glitter as if surrounded by small crystals.  
  
"She's dead." Duane looked down at her.  
  
"I know."  
  
Gau put his hand on her forehead, slowly passed it over her face and down to a chain around her neck that was attached to a pendant. He never noticed it before. He looked up at Duane.  
  
He stared back blankly and his voice was very soft and distant, "I don't know. She's had it for as long as I knew her. I may have asked her once, where it came from, but I don't remember an answer." Duane stared at Terra for a time unknown. Gau stared at the pendant, held gently in his hand, deep in thought. A sudden gust of wind passed and Gau turned around and Duane lifted his head. There Katarin stood, holding her son in her arms, asleep. She looked at Gau and then directly at Duane. Her face was dirty with dust and tears, but her face had a look of determination and her eyes had a light in them.  
  
"What do we do now?" 


	10. Epilogue

One light fades, but not before burning brighter than it ever has before, but the light that burns twice as bright… But perhaps it did not extinguish, but was given to another. Now that light must burn as bright to guide and to guard  
  
THE END 


End file.
